Bryophyte Ecology in Northern Disturbed Ecosystems

自研究生学习以来，我的长期研究计划一直是泥炭地泥炭藓物种的生态学，首先受到酸雨（氮沉降）的影响，最近了解它们在干扰后的早期演替阶段的分布和再生生态位。这将仍然是我的研究计划的一个主要主题，但其他群体的branchites，如棕色苔藓占主导地位的沼泽和北方先锋高地branchites也将进行研究。该研究计划的总体目的是提供有关哪些因素决定了苔藓在泥炭地（沼泽和沼泽）或北方和亚北极高地的扰动土壤中成功定居的基本知识。研究的重点将是促进（一些植物如何受益于与邻居的密切联系），以及这种植物与植物的相互作用关系如何有助于理论植物生态学和提高我们的预测能力的演替途径。该计划还将解决如何利用和受益于苔藓在生态系统恢复的基础上，自发和辅助殖民和继承的限制因素的理解。将研究水位、养分供应、微地形、阴影、盐度、湿度和环烷酸对从孢子和营养片段建立苔藓的影响。主要目标是提供新的知识的因素控制暴露的土壤，裸露的泥炭和岩石表面在恶劣的环境中的苔藓殖民化的动态。研究中的特定栖息地将是加拿大各地裸露有机土壤的泥炭地（从阿尔伯塔到爱德华王子岛），国家公园的高山干扰和亚北极干扰。1）定居于沼泽和沼泽带的泥炭藓属物种，2）金发藓属和曲尾藓属，3）沼泽中常见的钝头藓科物种以及4）毛金发藓，灰发藓（Niphotrichum canescens）和Paschale硬枝地衣（Stereocaulon pascale）。

Since graduate studies, my long term research program has been on the ecology of Sphagnum species in peatlands, first as impacted by acid rain (nitrogen deposition) and lately understanding their distribution and regeneration niche at early successional stages after disturbance. This will remain one main theme of my research programme but other groups of bryophytes such as brown mosses dominating fens and boreal pioneer upland bryophytes will also be studied. The general purpose of the research program will be to provide essential knowledge about what factors determine the success of establishment of mosses colonizing disturbed soils in peatlands (both for bogs and fens) or boreal and sub-arctic uplands. A focus of study will be on facilitation (how some plants benefit from growing in close association with neighbours) and how this plant-plant interaction relationship can contribute to theoritical plant ecology and improve our predictive ability of successional pathways. The program will also address how to use and benefit from mosses in ecosystem restoration based on an understanding of limiting factors in spontaneous and assisted colonization and succession. The effects of water level, nutrient availability, microtopography, shade, salinity, humidity and naphtenic acids on the establishment of mosses from spores and vegetative fragments will be studied. The main objectives will be to provide new knowledge of the factors controlling the dynamics of moss colonization of exposed soil, bare peat and rock surfaces in harsh environments. Specific habitats under study will be cut-over peatland with exposed organic soil across Canada (from Alberta to PEI), alpine disturbances in National Parks and sub-arctic disturbances For the taxa emphasis will be given to: 1) Sphagnum species colonizing fens andlagg zone, 2) Polytrichum and Dicranum genera, 3) species of the Amblystegiaceae common in fens as well as 4) Polytrichum piliferum, Niphotrichum canescens and the lichen Stereocaulon paschale.